Henry Isn't the One
by wooster182
Summary: After yet another fight, Betty wonders why she is still with Henry and what she really wants. Set a few months after "A Thousand Words." GxB. Please rr!


She lay in bed watching him sleep, the peaceful Sunday sunlight washed over his sweet face. She loved him but she was still agitated at him. Last night had been their third fight in the past two weeks.

It was the same fight they always had: Henry was upset at Betty's decisions. Again it was about Gio.

"_I can't stop seeing Gio, Henry. It's too hard."_

_He stared at her crossly. "But you promised me. You know how it makes me feel when I see him look at you."_

How does he look at me? _was the thought that flashed through her mind as it had before when Amanda had said it, but she dared not. "I know, and I'm sorry you feel that way. But my dad works for him now. He needs the job."_

_He threw his hands in the air. "So let him work for Sandwich Boy. It doesn't mean that _you _need to see him."_

_She shrugged apologetically. "My father likes him. He invites him over for dinner at least once a week."_

"_You don't have to go to dinner when he's there."_

_Now she was as irritated as Henry. "You know I barely get to see my family as it is. Dinnertime is sometimes the only time I see them."_

"_I don't understand why your dad invites him over anyway."_

_Her hair whipped around her shoulders as she shook her head. "I already told you. He likes Gio. He doesn't have that many friends outside of the family."_

_Henry's voice became gritty and thin. "And God forbid he ever invited me to dinner." Taking her shoulders in his hands, he said, "He doesn't bring him around because he's such a close friend. He's trying to get rid of me, Betty. He'd rather see you with Gio than me."_

_It felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach and the fist had stayed there. "That's not fair, Henry. You know my dad is just trying to protect me and he's done nothing to you since he got his citizenship."_

"_But that doesn't stop him from liking Gio more than me, does it?"_

_She shrugged and thoughtfully said, "Dad's just got more in common with Gio than he does with you. We all come from a similar background."_

_He stepped back as if wounded. "What about you, Betty? Do you have more in common with him, too?"_

_Her face dropped, hurt by his words. "You know I love you, Henry."_

_He stared at her. "That's not what I asked. Do you have more in common with Gio than you do with me?"_

_She looked away. "I'm not going to answer that."_

_His voice cracked and he softly asked again, "Do you?"_

"_There are things I share with you that I can't share with anyone else." She paused. "But Gio and I share things too, culturally, but that's all."_

"_So would you rather be with him?" Tears nearly welled in his eyes._

"_I never said that Henry."_

_His voice grew louder again. "But everyone would rather you be with him than me. You know it. Maybe you want to be with him, too."_

_Betty stepped close to him and reached out for his hands. "I love you, Henry. I want you. No one else."_

"_Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes more pleading than his question._

_She nodded. "If it makes you feel better, I'll avoid the nights that Gio are at my house. Who knows, maybe he'll start dating Hilda again."_

_He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Thank you."_

_He then went to bed and she soon followed. He fell asleep almost instantly._

But she had struggled to sleep all night, only sleeping a few hours at a time. As she watched him sleep now, she slightly begrudged him the ability to sleep so guiltlessly. She was the one that got yelled at once again _and _now has to suffer from lack of sleep on this beautifully sunny Sunday morning.

But sleeplessness wasn't the only thing bothering her. One thing that had kept her up that night was the feeling that she had when she had mentioned that maybe Hilda and Gio would start dating. Her heart had jumped when she had said it and her stomach had twirled for the rest of the night, making her nauseous. After that feeling, she couldn't deny that those two dating was the _last _thing she wanted to see happen. She wasn't sure exactly what that feeling meant. She wasn't ready to make sense of it yet. She didn't want to put it into words.

Her thoughts had also drifted to Henry. She was getting tired of having the same fight with him. And she was really getting tired of being the only one that apologized or lost something from it.

On her and Hilda's double date, she had lost the opportunity to dance while Henry could still have Saturday-Sundae night.

During her Nova experiment, Henry got to flirt with dozens of attractive women without apologizing while she promised never to see Gio again.

And now Henry got the benefit of her not seeing Gio and she had promised to miss suppers with her family even though she saw them rarely as it was.

Gio's word invaded her thoughts again. She couldn't help compare how he said he would treat a woman he loved to how Henry had been treating her. _Make every second count_.

Was she making every second count with Henry? Right now, she didn't think so. Right now, she was constantly upset and worried. Upset from the fights. Worried about Henry's leaving.

Henry would be leaving in just a few months. She was beginning to think that she would be relieved when he left. That couldn't be good.

She would be relieved that the continual drama would be over.

She would be relieved that they were no longer fighting.

She would be relieved that she could see Gio again without feeling guilty.

Now she wondered if she had made a mistake the night before. Should she have promised something yet again? Was she losing ground in their relationship? She felt like she was no longer a partner in this pair. She was beginning to think that he expected her to do whatever he wanted. She had rarely ever let Walter get away with that. And she knew she'd never let Gio do that unless she agreed with him. Her mother and father had always been equals. Yes, they fought, but they never made demands from each other. Still watching him sleep, she wondered if she should be more assertive, take more of what she wanted instead of giving everything away.

She stopped looking at him now and turned away. She looked at her phone on the nightstand and saw that there was a text message. It was from Hilda.

_Dad invited Gio for supper tonight. Both are cooking your favorite kind of enchiladas._

Deleting the message, she got up and headed for the bathroom. As she returned, she saw that Henry was up and awake.

While they were talking about their plans for that evening, he asked, "Are you coming over for dinner tonight?"

Her mouth opened without words. After a moment, she said, "No, I think I'm going home for supper tonight. Dad's making some special enchiladas."

He kissed her softly on the mouth. "Okay," he said sweetly, "but I'll miss you."

She smiled weakly. "I'll miss you, too."

The End.


End file.
